Liu Chang
Liu Chang was Christos200's character in Sonereal's IOT A Show of Fear. Descended from a once noble family, Liu Chang wanted to redeem his family name and serve the people and the Empress. He was generous, compassionate and fiercely loyal to the throne. Accompanied by his two sworn brothers, Zhang Wuji and Guan Ying, he was a military officer in the Jiajou Dynasty's Eastern Campaign. He was modeled by Christos after Liu Bei from the 'Three Kingdoms' novel. Background Liu Chang descended from the Liu family, one of the richest and most influential clans in the Jiajou Dynasty. But this changed 100 years before the IOTs start. Liu Chang's great-great-grandfather, Liu Jiang, was head of the family at that time. He was a great General and warrior who faithfully served the Empire. He was in his thirties at that time, was married and had a son. He was accused falsely of plotting to revolt by an official who was jealous of his wealth and successes and the Empress castrated and exiled him and confiscated his family's wealth. It took forty years before Liu Chang's grandfather could prove the innocence of Liu Jiang. He was given a minor official post, but his family was never compensated. Ten years later he died and for fifty years no member of the Liu family held an official post. The family was also famous for its 'Red Tiger Swordsmanship', passed from father to son. Christos had planned to expand the background further but the game ended before he could do so. His plan was to have Liu Jiang master an unique type of martial arts, feminine but fast, which only Eunuchs could master so that he could seek revenge against the Empress. His disciple, who succeeded Liu Jiang after his death, was supposed to have kidnapped Liu Chang's brother, castrated him and taught him this martial arts style, brainwashing him into becoming a fanatical opponent of the Empress and seeking revenge. Seeking a Post Liu Chang had met Zhang Wuji and Guan Ying before the IOTs start and they became sworn brothers. Zhang Wuji was hotheaded and impatient while Guan Ying calm and calculating. The three of them, at the start of the IOT, went to the Imperial Court to seek audience and offer their services to the Empress, despite being minor nobility. They also asked for no wage at all. Because of the illness of the Empress, they got no reply. As they had no income and Liu Chang would be forced to sell his modest estate if he did not find a source of income, the three brothers opened a herbalist shop. Liu Chang, despite his precarious economic situation, offered half his income to the poor people before he opened the shop and after he had opened the shop, he gave half of his revenue too to the poor. His two brothers confronted him, but Liu Chang in an inspiring speech told them that he only wanted to help the people and the Dynasty and that he did not care about wealth. Zhang Wuji and Guan Ying were moved by the speech and the three brothers gave an oath: "We vow to serve the nation and the Dynasty! We vow to give all of our wealth to the people! If any of us breaks this vow, he shall die a painful death!" The next year, the three brothers visited again the Imperial Court. By then, Liu Chang had gained a reputation as a pious man while Empress Yuna-Rei had died and was succeeded by the young Empress Rukina. The Empress agreed to allow Liu Chang and his brothers to serve in the Eastern Campaign of Jiajou. Liu Chang was the only one of the military officers who was not a member of the noblest families, as he was only a minor noble, while the rest were from prestigious families. Military Officer Before he could leave for the Eastern Campaign, Liu Chang was paid a visit by Lang Ming, member of one of the noblest families in Jiajou, who mocked him. Despite this, Liu Chang remained calm ignoring his brother Zhang Wuji who wanted to fight Lang Ming. Liu Chang and his brothers fought in the campaign, but during a night three assassins entered Liu Chang's dead. Liu Chang defeated them, thanks to his excellent swordplay, but they committed suicide before Liu Chang could question them. At that moment, Zhang Wuji and Guan Ying entered the tent and informed Liu Chang that they had overheard a drunken man saying that Lang Ming had paid the assassins, but Liu Chang decided to do nothing as he had no evidence and the Lang family was quite powerful. At that time, Liu Chang took a liking to the new Commander of the military camp, Li Say’ri, who was the daughter of General Li. During an exercise, Liu Chang was ordered to duel Lang Ming, who took a drug that could prove fatal to him but increased his strength and made him feel no pain at all. Despite this, Liu Chang defeated him after a fierce battle, thanks to the instructions of a mysterious voice. Lang Ming, not wanting to be humiliated, drew a knife and attempted to stab at the back Liu Chang, but he kicked him on the head instinctively, killing him. The mysterious voice was supposed to be that of Liu Chang's Eunuch brother, as mentioned above, but as the game ended this plot could not be further elaborated. Had the game lasted longer, Liu Chang's brother would had tried to persuade him to abandon the Imperial Court and seek revenge for Liu Jiang but Liu Chang would remain loyal to the Empress.